Brothers bridge cultures one T-shirt at a time

Published
7:00 pm EST, Wednesday, January 21, 2009

STAMFORD

By STEPHANIE PAULINO

Hour Staff Writer

Last August, brothers George and Robert Velasco expanded their custom T-shirt company, Electric Teez, by creating bilingual designs. Let's just say you won't find some of the shirts in the line in your mother's wardrobe.

According to George Velasco, 39, the line is "helping to bridge Spanish and English cultures one T-shirt at a time." With shirts that read, "No espik inglish" and "Colegio," the Velascos are trying to appeal to everyone, Spanish-speaking or not.

"The Americans for example, will see a shirt and depending on the design -- some of them they'll get right away, (or) they will have an idea of what (the shirt) says but they're not 100 percent sure, and then they'll laugh," said George Velasco. "It's like a conversation starter, so they get a kick out of it."

Velasco said his brother Robert, 40, began making custom shirts about five years ago.

A printer by trade, Robert Velasco, invested in his own silk-screening machine and since then, Electric Teez has been busy printing custom promotional pieces for businesses, clubs, restaurants and DJs.

In August, the Velasco brothers introduced a new line of funny and sometimes racy shirts in original English and Spanish designs.

The actual name of the line, which contains an expletive that the The Hour chose not to publish, is a Spanish variant of the expression for "trash-talking."

Even former U.S. Congressman Christopher Shays has been seen sporting a shirt from the bilingual line. On the company's Web site, http://www.electricteez.com, Shays is pictured wearing a shirt that reads, "Guapo," the Spanish word for "handsome."

"I thought he was going to take it and do what everyone else does, just throw it away or give it to somebody else, you know. But he put it on -- it's crazy," said George Velasco.

He said the inspiration for new designs come in a variety of ways. One design, for example, a shirt that reads, "I'm not with stupid anymore," is a spin on an old classic.

"There was a shirt everyone knows, 'I'm with stupid,' and it's been around for years and years and it's just not interesting anymore, it's played out and tired," said George Velasco. "So like a little bit of a spin on it, it makes it new again."

He said common sayings and expressions we are all familiar with can have a whole new feel when repeated in Spanish.

While both brothers focus on their own designs, George usually handles what he calls, "market research" by promoting the shirts outside of night clubs, such as The Palms, in Stamford and getting feedback. He uses a popular marketing strategy, handing out 4-by-6-inch cards to people leaving the clubs and placing them on the windshields of cars to get the word out about the line. George Velasco said it is amazing to see that people will almost always immediately respond with laughter.

These days, the Velascos are not alone in getting their shirts out to the public.

Andrew Kennedy, a Connecticut-based comedian who has been featured on Comedy Central, promoted the shirts during a live

performance in New Bruns-wick, N.J., a little more than a month ago. The half Colombian and half British comedian frequently incorporates Spanish into his act.

"I talk about being raised in South America, (so) it made sense to tie the shirts in," said Kennedy.

In addition the Web, the shirts are now on sale at two retail locations: Impulse Ts in Milford and Utopia Skate Shop in Norwalk.

Utopia manager Bradley Cooke said the store currently sells 10 Electric Teez designs, adding that the shirts, which are the only Spanish-language products available at the store, sold exceptionally well at Christmas.

"We live in a relatively heavy populated Spanish demographic, and I think it appeals not only to our existing customer base, but lends some 'word of mouth' publicity in the Spanish community as well," said Cooke.

The growth of the company's new line has not stopped the Velasco brothers from creating designs that may appeal to both new and existing customers.

Future projects include shirts designed specifically as club wear that will look good under a black light, as well as more designs for women and shirts that will appeal to the gay community, said George Velasco.